Industry committee  I think nanotechnology is one of those things that is still very cutting-edge in terms of where they are at. There's a lot of uncertainty associated with those materials. I think the first thing we have to do is to better educate the public about what these materials are; what their safety profile is; what we do as industry to ensure that these products are safe, although innovative; and that industry is able to deliver innovative efficacy and create a difference as these innovative products move forward.

Industry committee  Absolutely.

Environment committee  I would say that science is science, and sound science is ensuring that you use the totality of the evidence before you. The difference between the two is that you can have one scientist saying one thing and another scientist saying another thing. How do you balance that? From our perspective, we use the concept that it's not only the use of science, but also integrating that within thinking of the weight of evidence.

Environment committee  I'm not sure if I can off the cuff, because I'm not aware of the specific data that was referenced. What I could probably do is to conceptualize the issue of the focus being simply on releases and measuring those. Releases are an important part of the equation, as we've talked about today, but those releases should be put into the context of whether or not we can identify a need to manage those releases.

Environment committee  You have to take a look at, in context, what those releases really mean and what they represent. I think it's important to understand that materials are going to be released, and I think you have to look at how those releases are going to impact Canadians. I think making that assessment, hopefully one that uses the application of risk assessment and science, will inform the best placed risk management strategy that you can move forward to ensure that those substances are managed.

Environment committee  I was interrupted and I can't even remember what I was saying.

Environment committee  I think you have to come up with an understanding of what metrics you are using to evaluate whether or not those controls are accomplishing the risk management objectives they are outlined and identified to accomplish. I think CEPA has an inherent process that allows the government and Canadians to look back and evaluate the strength of those risk management options you've identified.

Environment committee  Absolutely. I think what CEPA does is provide for an opportunity to look holistically at how a chemical behaves. You look at it from the start. How does it get into the environment? What happens to it in the environment? How does it get through the body? How does your body process it?

Environment committee  From our perspective, we believe the statute is sufficiently robust. It is a risk-based system. As I mentioned previously, when we do a risk assessment it inherently takes into account cumulative exposure considerations and multiple exposure considerations. It looks at the availability of all evidence, and you look collectively at how that is going to be integrated into your decision-making model.

Environment committee  I think risk assessment is a complicated process. It is not always easy to explain, but I will try to do that very briefly. I think we mentioned three concepts that are always taken into account. First, we look at the properties of a material. These are things like the shape. What is the form?